Can You Get a Good Deal at Chicago Restaurant Week?

A sampling of eight specials shows you can get a bargain. But it depends on where—and what—you want to eat.

This wild boar ragu with Parmigiano Reggiano is a deal at Cafe Spiaggia during Restaurant Week.Photo: Galdones Photography

Starting Friday, January 24, and running through February 6, nearly 300 restaurants will be running fixed priced menu specials, with lunch menus for $22 and dinners for $33 or $44 before tax, tips, or drinks. It’s called Restaurant Week. (Even though it’s really more like Restaurant Two Weeks.)

It sounds so perfect in theory. Every restaurant you’ve been meaning to try—since forever—slashes its prices! Three courses at the best tables in town! But you have to check the math to be sure it’s really that good of a deal by comparing the Restaurant Week menus to the places’ à la carte pricing.

A few caveats: This is clearly an abbreviated list, and our recommendations are purely economic. Some places just didn’t have enough overlap between their Restaurant Week menu and regular menu for there to be a fair price comparison (Naha, Frontera Grill, and Stella Barra are examples). Then, others either didn’t have their Restaurant Week menus posted at press time or didn’t list menu prices online to begin with (like Balena and Nightwood.)

But based on the information available, it seems Restaurant Week is obviously a good time to try some places, and at others, it’s just business as usual. Take a look:

Restaurant Week price: $22 for three-course lunchRegular price: $22 for three-course lunchShould I go? No. It’s not that we don’t love Blackbird, it’s just that this deal’s always happening—pick a special menu somewhere instead.

RW price: $44 for three-course dinnerRegular price: $36-$45Should I go? No, especially if you’re a vegetarian whose gnocchi main would only clock in around $15 (the average price for a pasta dish here.)

RW price: $22 for three-course lunch, $33 for three-course dinner Regular price: $34-$37 for lunch, $39-$49 for dinnerShould I go? Yes—no matter what you order, it’s one of the best values at either meal.

RW price: $33 for three courses or $44 for four courses at dinner Regular price: $49-$52 for three, $63-$68 for fourShould I go? Yes. Though only one of the entrées (garlic chicken) is listed on the regular menu, it’s $22 by itself, and the main course includes $10 worth of sides. Just be warned it’s carnivores only.

RW price: $44 for four coursesRegular price: $50 for three coursesShould I go? Yes. All the dishes come from their Salvador Dali-themed tasting menu, and the abbreviated version is usually only available a few days a week.

RW price: $33 for dinnerRegular price: $33-$47Should I go? Yes, but only if you’ll order steak frites or beef bourguignon. Otherwise, it’s going to be roughly the same price to order what you want à la carte.